The present invention relates to a pointing device used for inputting a signal in X-Y directions in various electronic equipment such as a remote control unit, a game machine, a cellular phone, a PDA, and a notebook personal computer and more specifically to a pointing device of a sliding type in which an operating body is slid along a plate face of a mounting substrate.
A pointing device of a sliding type that is used as an input device of a signal in X-Y directions basically has a case fixed to a mounting substrate, a sliding-type operating body that is mounted to the case for inputting the signal in the X-Y directions and is slid in all directions around itself and along a surface of the substrate, a pair of moving bodies moving linearly in an X direction and a Y direction in the case as the operating body is slid, and a pair of signal output means for detecting moving positions of the pair of moving bodies and outputting electric signals in the X-Y directions.
As the signal output means, there is known means based on a magnetic sensor in addition to a volume. However, the means based on the magnetic sensor is large and expensive. Therefore, it is preferable in view of miniaturization and cost-reduction of the device to use signal output means formed of volume such as an X-Y direction input device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 5-324187.
In the X-Y direction input device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 5-324187, contacts are mounted to a pair of moving bodies housed in a case and each the contact comes into sliding contact with a resistor circuit on a surface of a special substrate housed in the case with the moving bodies, thereby forming the volumes in the case. The volumes in the case are connected to an electric circuit on a surface of amounting substrate to which the case is fixed through a connector or by soldering.
Such a prior-art pointing device is smaller and less expensive than a device for which magnetic signal output means is used because the volumes are used as the signal output means. However, there is a problem of increase in a height of the device because the special substrate is provided in the case so as to form the volumes.
Although it is possible to operate a press-down switch by using the operating body so as to improve functions of the pointing device, the height of the device is further increased if the operation of the press-down switch is made possible.
The present invention has been accomplished with the above circumstances in view and it is an object of the present invention to provide a thin pointing device in which the height of the device can be suppressed even if the volumes as the signal output means are formed in the case and increase in the height of the device can be minimized even if the press-down switch can be operated by the operating body.
To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a pointing device comprising a case fixed to a mounting substrate, a sliding-type operating body that is mounted to the case for inputting a signal in X-Y directions and is slid in all directions around itself and along a surface of the substrate, and a pair of moving bodies for moving linearly in X and Y directions in the case as the operating body is slid, wherein a metal plate is used for at least one of the pair of moving bodies.
In the pointing device according to the present invention, by using the metal plate for at least one of the pair of moving bodies, the height of the device can be suppressed even if the built-in substrate for forming the volume is housed in the case below the pair of moving bodies. Even if the operating body can move in a Z direction perpendicular to the X-Y directions and the press-down switch disposed below the operating body is operated by the operating body, increase in the height of the device can be minimized.
In order to reduce the thickness of the device, it is preferable that metal plates are used for both of the pair of moving bodies. It is also preferable that the case has a two-piece structure formed by mounting an upper case and a lower case to each other and that at least one of the upper case and the lower case is formed of a metal plate.
It is preferable that the press-down switch is formed of a switch circuit formed on an upper face of a built-in substrate and a resilient contact chip fixed onto the switch circuit so as to reduce the thickness.
It is preferable that the moving body for which the metal plate is used has a combined structure that is a combination of a plate-shaped metal portion extending in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction and resin portions in a pair respectively mounted to opposite end portions of the metal portion for movably retaining the metal portion in the case.
With this structure, it is possible to avoid contact between the electric circuit formed on the upper face of the built-in substrate and the metal portion. The resin portions can be used as sliders for forming the volumes and increase in the height of the device can be suppressed by mounting contacts for coming into sliding contact with the resistor circuit formed on the upper face of the built-in substrate to the lower faces of the resin portions or preferably to ceiling portions of recessed portions formed at the lower faces of the resin portions, for example. The resin portions can be used for origin returning mechanisms of the moving bodies and increase in the height of the device can be suppressed by housing the springs for origin returning between a top plate portion of the case and resin portions.